In recent years there has been an increase in health awareness as people live longer, more people become overweight, and the cost of health care rises. One of the ways to take better care of yourself is by basic monitoring of your physiological state. Physiological measurements, such as pulse, electrocardiogram (ECG), body fat, or body hydration measurements, are common in sports and wellness fields. Examples of current measurement devices include wrist watches that measure pulse rates, a chest strap with a loop and hook closure, calipers to measure body fat, water scales to measure body fat, and a set of electrodes attached to various parts of a torso for ECG measurements. Conventional physiological measurement devices tend to be dedicated devices in that they are designed to serve a single purpose for use in obtaining a particular type of physiological measurement. Body fat calipers, for example, cannot also be used to obtain ECG measurements or be used for other purposes.
A limitation of current physiological measurement devices is relative high cost and complexity of use. The relative high cost arises due to a small customer base of sports and wellness users as opposed to the general population. Sports and wellness enthusiasts are also more willing to pay more for a perceived specialty device than the public at large. The small customer base also means less design resources are likely to be devoted to the product. The end result is a device that requires pre-existing knowledge by the user and requires consulting (repeatedly) a user's manual in order to properly use the device.